Comparing and Contrasting essay

The Magic of Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas ' as the song goes (Presley , 1964 . People who live in any other city see Las Vegas for what can be found on the Strip casinos , giant hotels , and all kinds of entertainment . One might compare the city of Las Vegas to that of Anaheim , home of Disneyland : while many tourists come for the entertainment , many individuals live normal lives where they go to school , get jobs , buy a house and raise a family . The difference between Anaheim and Las Vegas is that there is little

more to do in terms of entertainment in Las Vegas besides the casinos . The residents ' view of Las Vegas is much different than the tourists . It is true that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas , but for those who live there , that means that they can 't always engage in the kind of behavior that the tourists enjoy , nor can they escape it

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors authority recently coined the oft-used phrase , What happens in Vegas , stays in Vegas (Schwartz 2004 . This is the theme of the tourists ' Las Vegas : they can come and participate in any sort of behavior they choose , and leave it behind when they return home . For this reason , they only see Las Vegas as it looks at night : lights , casinos , activity and fun . They see a variety of activities that they cannot find anywhere else . The first , of course , is gambling . The casinos are huge and each hotel seeks to outdo the hotel next to it . In the 80 's , Circus Circus was the latest phenomenon because they had circus acts performing right in the casino . This was outdone by the Mirage and their white tigers the MGM Grand , which nearly has its own zoo and finally , roller coasters , pirates and exclusive nightclubs When tourists make plans to come to Las Vegas , they first anticipate which hotel they 're going to stay at based on its features - they might stay at the Luxor for its bizarre elevators , the Venetian for its large indoor mall and gondola ride , or the Mandalay Bay for its luxury . They may venture out to see the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead , but it 's unlikely that they 're going to visit the University of Las Vegas or tour the latest model homes . For the tourists , it 's all about fun and excess

The resident 's view of Las Vegas is much different . It usually starts with a typical tract home development . This neighborhood could be anywhere , considering everything it lacks in uniqueness . From there , one will find the usual businesses , including gas stations , strip malls and grocery stores . The city has schools , parks and a few movie theatres Beyond the suburbs , however , the gigantic hotels are difficult to miss Residents of Las Vegas grow up with the idea that they can live their lives separate from the entertainment that is offered only a few miles away , but this simply isn 't true . The...